Let us today enter more deeply into an understanding of the Eucharistic Presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus! Just what is it all about, really?
We begin by making this simple statement: Jesus is the image of the Father. Several times in the past several months Jesus has tried to make this point very clear; and over and over again. Who sees me, sees the Father! The Father and I are one! Philip how can you say to me "show us the Father."
We were created in the image of the Father as was Jesus.
Now - especially since we have been redeemed by Jesus: and we partake of his very life by means of Baptism and Confirmation - when the Father looks at us, he sees Jesus – or at least he should! This is an ongoing project for life – to perfect the image of Christ and his Father within us – in whom we were created – and redeemed.
In order for us to complete our entry into the people of God, the Church, Jesus left us the image of himself in a very special way: in the Eucharistic elements of consecrated bread and wine. He knows us and he knows that it is not easy to be the best Christians that we can be all of the time. This is why he provided spiritual food and drink – spiritual refreshment and strength for the spiritual journey through life that we are all making - that will end one day when we participate in a great Wedding Feast in heaven: the Wedding Feast of the Lamb of God – the same one who takes away the sins of the world: the same one who comes to us in Holy Communion.
When we get all we can out of the Eucharist in Holy Communion: we know more about Jesus, his Father, ourselves and our brothers and sisters who are "part of the same loaf" as St. Paul tells us in the second reading today! We even know something about those who not yet part of the loaf but who are invited to be so!
In order for the Eucharistic food to mean anything at all to us we first of all have to really and truly consider ourselves as a WE and not as a group of individual "I's" WE ARE ALL WE ARE! It is we all, who form the one Body of Christ; it is we all, who profess our faith in the Blessed Trinity at Mass: calling God: Father, Son and Spirit; it is we all who are affected by what every member of the one Body, the one loaf, does or does not do; it is we all who have responsibility and duties as a member of the Body, the loaf; it is we all who have rights as well – the right to be shepherded by Jesus, led by him, fed by him, protected by him - and those he appoints over us – especially those who make the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus a reality among us: the bishops and their priest helpers.
Our world is filled with activity, motion, schedules, commitments, noise and all kinds of busy-ness It is only when we can come apart – and be still – and concentrate not on what we are doing – but rather on who we are who are doing the activity – who we are as children of God, as brothers and sisters of Jesus and members of his mystical body, the Church; who we are as a unified group of people who must first commune with Jesus interiorly and spiritually – Jesus and his Father – Jesus, his Father, led by the Spirit – so that we can truly appreciate the bread and the cup that we receive that is transubstantiated right before our very eyes at this and every Mass.
Unless and until we are communion before we receive communion
– then, communion is that much less than it can be for all of us. The converse is also true - the more we are communion with God and one another, the more real, powerful and effective the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist becomes for us. (Not that he becomes more real – but we become more aware of his reality: who he really is, and who we really are in him).
The cup we drink IS the blood of Christ; the bread we eat is his body. He wants to energize all of the graces and favors and gifts that he has for us to live useful and happy lives in the world as we have our goal set on the world that will never end.
If Jesus had not left us his very self – spiritually – in the Most Blessed Sacrament – and just left us some teachings that we could read about – and stories that may or may not have made it down through the centuries to us – how lonely, how frightening, how sterile, how meaningless life really would be!
The Eucharist is the font and apex of all of the sacraments of the Church and indeed the very life of the Church itself: for the very real Eucharistic Presence of Jesus is the true presence among us of the King of Kings, the Lord of Lord; who is also our Brother, our Teacher, our Master, our Friend. How fortunate we are dear brothers and sisters, to partake of this heavenly food!
In the gospel passage Jesus says: I am the living bread that comes down from heaven – he really meant that. He really meant it too when he said that unless you eat this bread you will not have everlasting life! This bread is different from the bread "our fathers" had – different from what anyone else can have. The bread of mere words, the bread of mere promises, the bread of mere dreams will end in nothingness! The bread that IS JESUS remains forever and activates within us all that he said that it would! And for that we are grateful – so very, very grateful!
O sacrament most holy, O sacrament divine: all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine!
No comments:
Post a Comment